Sandbox Skirmish

Nick Jones, author of the excellent Bloody Betancourt blog, has just bowled a bit of a googly in my general direction and is thinking of putting together an African imaginations skirmish project in 15mm. As you may recall, this has been a slow burning project of mine for years now, under the working title of Sandbox Skirmish, primarily as I originally designed it around Nordic Weasel's No End In Sight rules and the Skirmish Sandbox patrol system. 

I've not visited this for ages but am now feeling itchy, so will dig out what I've done thus far for a timely review. The original project was set in an alternative post-colonial Aden style location but I have considered shifting it to East Africa and even bigging it up to 28mm, using the outstanding terrain modules that I was gifted by wargaming chum Jon Ward. This would use either Commando Miniatures or Eureka Miniatures but it's a bit of a jump up and very much a peripheral option....

...off in another tangent again but at least it's one I've charted before!

https://bloodybetancourt.wordpress.com/

Sandbox Skirmish Source Material

This was a bargain in a National Trust second hand bookshop yesterday at only three quid, especially as it's a hardback and in 'as new' condition. Not that I'm really interested in the Royal Leicestershire regiment to be fair, but it does have extensive detail on Aden so a bit of a gold mine for my Sandbox Skirmish 15mm post-colonial, semi-historical 'imaginations' project, which I've sadly neglected for months, if not years now? Anyway, too good to miss, so I snapped it up!

Back to Africa

 

I had a nice parcel of Eureka Miniatures ZANLA guerrillas in the post today, with sufficient figures to kit out three sections of six and a commander. I thought some opposition would be a good idea but, rather than the obvious Rhodesian or Portuguese option, I decided to go for some British from the Aden range. I've ordered a section of ten figures to use as a patrol in a counter factual 'imaginations' type setting akin to my 15mm Sandbox Skirmish project, making use of the resin Humber Pigs from Warbases that I already have in the bits box. A bit pricey but very nice figures.

Sandbox Skirmish

       

This 15mm post-colonial skirmish project has been hanging about for a few years now but will get a reboot over the half term holiday, as I'm on a roll with my 15mm AK47 stuff and really enjoying the painting. I recently discovered the Wars of Insurgency rules, which would work well for this, so have some impetus to get on with a painting test run for the British infantry platoon. 

However, I'm thinking of relocating the action to a fictional East African ex-colony, where the government is facing a nationalist insurrection and has called on the British for political and military support. The response has been the deployment of a small contingent from a soon to be amalgamated West Country regiment and a few shady special forces SAS types.

I've re-sprayed a strip of eight of the figures in a Citadel Death Guard Green basecoat and gave the layer paints to get them started, which will be a change from using a black undercoat. It may of may not go to plan but, if it goes tits up I can always strip them back and start again. The vehicles just need finishing off, as they're three quarters painted already.

Should be fun!

Wars of Insurgency

                           

This is a set of skirmish rules that I hadn't heard of before bumping into a recommendation on a Facebook group. It's very much inspired by the original AK47 in style and content but with a system for skirmish level battles, rather than company level, and a slightly more serious tone. The army lists ate based around the same factions as AK47 and there's a clear emphasis on the political manoeuvring aspect, through a well designed campaign system. I really like what I've read so far and for only a few quid it's a bargain. I can see myself developing a 15mm or 28mm skirmish equivalent to my AK47 games or even using it for the Sandbox Skirmish project with a few minor adjustments. Very cool!

http://www.firstcommandwargames.com/wars-of-insurgency.html

Bulldogs Away! AK47 Mash Up

I have had a closer look at my stash of 1/700 Soviet models for Bulldogs Away! and have also located the other half of the set up, a selection of Skytrex Israeli FAC's. These are a mixed lot of a couple of Saar 2's, a Saar 3, a Reshef, a Romat and an Aliyah, so I may do a bit of swapping of parts to make at least three identical boats plus a flotilla leader. As it's an 'imaginations' project I am able to play around with the weapons fit too. I'm thinking of making the Soviet equipped force a Swahili speaking nation a bit like Malawi or Tanzania, while the Israeli equipped force would be an Afrikaans or even Zulu speaking country, so that I can give the boats suitably African names. It's all very much in an AK47 style, so I may even use my existing nations of Mbote and Nbuto, who knows? 

Fast Attack Afrika

One thing I've been thinking of adding to the list of projects next year is an 'Imagi-nations' modern fast attack naval thing, using my collection of 1/700 scale models from Skytrex, PT Dockyard and various plastic model kits. I had thought of setting the scene in a South American conflict between two countries not unlike Peru and Ecuador or Chile, but I'm now veering more toward an African AK47 inspired idea. 

I have some Soviet Cold War era FAC's and a variety of Israeli ones, so I'm thinking about an ersatz clash between a country a bit like South Africa and another based on Mozambique or Tanzania, with the kit distributed accordingly. It's just an idea at the moment but it would tie in nicely with my Steamer Wars WW1 project and make use of the models I've already assembled.

Stirring the Imagi Nation

I had some time for reading on the ferry journey back home the other day, so rather than ploughing through a book, I decided to read The Wars of the Faltenian Succession, a collection of the articles written by Henry Hyde in the now defunct Battlegames magazine. I really liked Battlegames and enjoy reading Henry's articles in Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy, so I knew it wouldn't be a wasted opportunity.

I had this compilation on the Kindle but had only flicked through it before, metaphorically speaking, so it was worth a proper cover to cover read.  I'm glad I did as it was very interesting and has given me dome more ideas for Imagi-nation building, not only for my slowly moving post colonial Sandbox Skirmish project but also for classic eighteenth century wargame campaigning.

I love the pen and ink mapping!

I've thought about this many times before but dismissed it as too time consuming and unlikely to be of interest to anyone at the club. Now that I'm not going to the club on a regular basis and am more focussed on solo wargaming, it makes more sense, as I can do what I want at my own pace, which I've found to be far more productive. It's also much cheaper than before due to the availability of the ex-Wargames Factory plastic figures, of which I have a few boxes stashed away in the loft.

Another future project...who knows?

Ironclad Gap Fillers

Fuso Central Battery Ironclad (1877)

I was browsing the Tumbling Dice pre-dreadnought range this morning, wondering when I'd get round to starting my own Anglo-Japanese war of 1900 project (?), when I spotted some interesting models in the Sino-Japanese war range. These are the earliest warships in the Chinese and Japanese fleets, dating from the late 1870's and early 1880's, so a perfect match for the existing ironclads from this period in the Victorian range.

There are plenty of central battery battleships at one end of the later Victorian range and no shortage of torpedo boats and coastal defence craft at the other, but not a lot in between. So, I was wondering if I could use a few of the Sino-Japanese models to bridge the gap and fill out the missing frigates, sloops and corvettes? There are some very suitable models that would be ideal for just such a thing, perhaps for the French and British to use, or for other smaller naval powers in South America, for example?

Kongo Ironclad Corvette (1877)

The models that caught my eye include the Fuso (ABJ20), the Kongo (ABJ21), the Katsuragi (ABJ30) and the Maya (ABJ31), all of which are masted and fully rigged, so a good match for generic colonial cruising warships or gunboats. I'm sure with a little research I could match the Kongo and Fuso to the equivalent French or British warships. I also would love to find a use for the Rendell Flatiron gunboats that are represented by the Chinese Chen Pei (ABC10). In think these would be perfect for a South American or minor European  'imaginations' type fleet!

Rendell Flatiron Gunboat (1875)

There are no pictures of any of these models on the Tumbling Dice website but, as they are designed by the same sculptor to the same scale, I can't imagine that they wouldn't be compatible with the Victorian ironclad range. I may well order the Japanese starter pack for the Sino-Japanese War, as it is good value for what you get and includes all of the ships I've mentioned already, apart from the gunboats. If they aren't useful for ironclad games, I can always add them to my pre-dreadnought project!

Just a thought?

Red Vectors 15mm Afghan / African Market

There are some really nice Red Vectors 15mm Afghan (Arabian) / African laser cut mdf buildings now available via Minibits. I have ordered the set of two market square type buildings and a pack of the market stalls, to use alongside the 15mm Blotz North African houses that I already have, although I did think about getting the Red Vectors pack of four houses as well. I've been thinking about using all of these to do some terrain tiles and scenery features for post-war / modern skirmish games, as I need a break from painting tiny aircraft. A bit of 'slap it on' scenery modelling might be just the ticket!

1/700 Cold War Fast Attack Craft Cont...

I was sorting out the second half of my 1/700th scale modern coastal forces project, when I located this little kit of a Knox class frigate. I can use it either as the flagship of the Franco-Israeli equipped fast attack flotilla or perhaps as a US warship sent to patrol contested imaginary waters and 'fly the flag'. It's a lovely model kit and not too big a warship to deploy, especially as it would make a tempting target for one side or the other? It's a shame it's not a Leander though!

Osas and Grishas

I assembled the remaining Skytrex Soviet FAC's today including a pair of Osa II FAC(M)'s and a single P6  FAC(T). These took ages to scrape, file, sand and glue, but eventually went together quite easily. I also assembled the Combrig resin Grisha corvette, which was yet more fiddly even though I left off some of the finer details for wargaming purposes. I had to replace some parts with plastic bits from a cheap, surplus to requirements Udaloy class destroyer model kit, as the resin components were far too fragile to survive very long. This completes the Soviet equipped flotilla for the moment, apart from a cunning plan that I will reveal later.

Fast Attack Soviet Backed Flotilla

Here's the line up of Skytrex, PT Dockyard and Combrig 1/700th scale models for the Soviet backed flotilla, ready for the weekend when I'm planning to start gluing them together. The big hitter is a Grisha class corvette in resin from Combrig, which is a lovely model that I bought from the now defunct White Ensign Models and stashed away. I also have a couple of pre-built Dragon Tarantul class corvettes but they are a bit ropey, so I'll leave them out for the moment.

This is backed up by a pair of Skytrex Osa FAC(M), a pair of less punchy Komar FAC (M), a Shershen FAC (G) and a single rather light weight P4/5 FAC (T). There's also a Turya FAC (T) hydrofoil from PT Dockyard which I may leave out of the line up, as I think I have enough for a decent force already? I'll be adding some aircraft and helicopters as well but that can wait until I've completed the naval force first. These will be from the Tumbling Dice 1/600th range, with plenty to choose from in the spares and leftovers box.

Modern Naval Fast Attack

I'm wrapping up the MiG Alley / Bag the MiG project over the next week or so, leaving me free to do something a little bit different in the three weeks before the Easter break. I like the idea of some Soviet jet fighters in 1/600th scale, so I may well do that too, but it would be nice to have  a bit of a break from air wargaming for a change.

I don't want to start anything big yet, so have been thinking about either finishing off some 1/600th scale merchant ships for WW2 coastal warfare or, perhaps, putting together a couple of small flotillas of modern FAC's in 1/700th scale, ready to use with the Naval Command supplement that is coming out at some point soon?

This is an old idea of mine, first 'thunked up' way back in 2012:

http://jimswargamesworkbench.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/what-to-do-in-meeting-when-youre-really.html

I found my box of Skytrex and PT Dockyard models yesterday which re-kindled the original idea, as well as having some pre-built Dragon Soviet FAC's that just need a quick re-paint and basing to be sorted. The idea would be to create two small forces for an 'Imagi-nations' conflict set either in the Far East or in Central America sometime in the '70's or 80's. I'll have to give it some more thought.

Chargeblog: Adventures in Wargaming

I absentmindedly forgot to separate out a link to Michael's outstanding blog in my post the other day, just tagging one on the end of the blurb, so here it is again in full focus:

http://hntdaab.co.uk/blog/ .

If you have any doubts about ultra modern 'Imaginations' skirmish wargaming, this blog will cure you of your misgivings and probably end in a phone call from your bank manager, assuming you are like me and can't quite resist the temptation to splash out on some figures. Luckily I have stacks of lead in 15mm for AK47 and the like, just for starters, and a high level of self control! I think?

Skirmish Afrika

I'd read a review of this African imagi-nations supplement for Skirmish Sangin a while back in one of the wargaming magazines and thought it looked really good, although I'm not into modern gaming as such. I am very much into AK47 and 15mm post-colonial gaming, however, so may well download a copy of this supplement for inspiration, if nothing else. I really like what they've done with this fictional 'Afrika' geo-political setting and can see all sorts of potential directions in which I could take my existing 15mm AK47 forces, just for starters. There's even a country called N'bote which is virtually the same as my fictional AK47 nation of Mbote!

http://www.wargamevault.com/product/221356/Skirmish-Afrika?src=hottest_filtered&coverSizeTest=true

More 15mm Blotz Middle Eastern mdf

I was really impressed with the Blotz 15mm middle eastern compound that I ordered a couple of weeks ago so, as it was pay day yesterday, I've ordered a wider selection from the range including some single storey buildings and a couple of the smaller walled features. I will now have enough for a proper built up area for modern skirmish games in North Africa or the Arabian Gulf, as well as other uses like near future sci-fi or AK47.

No End In Sight

This is the set of rules that first sparked my interest in a post-colonial skirmish level project, with a particular focus on Britain's Small Wars and the retreat from Empire. Although I have yet to try them out they really seem to hit the nail on the head, being designed for just this sort of thing and written with flexibility and adaptation in mind.

I really like the way Ivan Sorenson aka Nordic Weasel, writes the FiveCore system rules as they are always clear, concise and well-designed, making it easy to grasp the core concepts but with layers of detail that can be added as required. They are also really good value for money and very well supported, so that you are never short of a rule for this, that or the other.

I originally planned to use the FiveCore Company Commander rules for this project but I think No End In Sight will be a better option, especially as I'm focussing on platoon level scenarios. I have the older edition of the rules so I may well upgrade to the latest edition as my reward for a long and tedious week at work!

Fireteam: Modern

This is the other set of platoon level rules that I'm thinking of using for 1960's post-colonial games, alongside Nordic Weasel's No End In Sight rules. The Fireteam: Modern rules are aimed at contemporary actions in Afghanistan and the like but can be used for any historical situation in the post war era. There is a Vietnam variant that is currently unavailable but I have a download of the first version, so may turn to that first rather than using the latest edition of the modern rules. The system itself is similar in scope to No End In Sight but uses different mechanics, so it should be interesting to compare results. I am planning to get started on the 15mm figures for this in the Summer, once the coastal forces project has been completed.

FiveCore Sand Box

I've been meaning to begin some sort of 15mm squad to platoon level post-colonial project this year, using my stash of spare AK47 figures and as much of my existing terrain as possible, with a few extra bits added here and there. I have some Peter Pig professionals to use as British, some FFL and some militia figures for the 'bad guys', so there's no shortage of possible scenarios, from Aden and the Radfan, to Borneo and Belize and even as far as an 'imagi-nation' somewhere in Africa.

To tie this all together I've decided to use the FiveCore system as a starting point, although Rory Crabb's Fireteam rules also look eminently suitable. Anyway, to nudge myself a little further down the road of actually starting this project, I have downloaded the Sand Box campaign supplement for solo infantry patrols in 'hot' places, in more than one sense of the word. It looks like a neat little system, so I will bend it to fit my existing plans for post-colonial small wars.